A "PROFESSIONAL criminal" has been jailed after committing another offence the day after he was handed a suspended sentence.

Joshua Newbury admitted one count of breaching a criminal behaviour order when he appeared before magistrates in Kidderminster on January 27.

The court heard that the 30-year-old had behaved in a way that would cause harassment, alarm, alarm, or distress in a public place, by swearing, being abusive, and offering violence in an incident in Hereford on January 25.

He is prohibited from behaving in such a manner by a criminal behaviour order imposed by magistrates in Worcester on April 20, 2022, the court was told.

The order, which will expire in April 2025, bans him from acting in a manner likely to cause alarm, distress or harassment to others in any public place.

He is also prohibited from remaining on any private property or other property when asked to leave by the person in charge at that time, and is banned from being in possession of an open vessel containing alcohol in Hereford city centre.

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Magistrates said that the number and nature of his offences show that Newbury, who is of Longmeadow, Hereford, is operating as a professional criminal and has a flagrant disregard for people and their property, and handed him a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

But Newbury was back in court again on January 30, after breaching his criminal behaviour order again just a day after his last hearing.

He entered a guilty plea to the new count of breaching a criminal behaviour order when he appeared before a district judge in Kidderminster.

The court heard that Newbury had been drunk in a public place in Hereford and was causing members of the public to be harassed, alarmed, and distressed, which he was prohibited from doing by his criminal behaviour order on January 28.

District judge Ian Strongman said the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified, as it was committed during the operational period of a suspended sentence, and jailed Newbury for 10 weeks, which will be served consecutively to the activated 16-week sentence imposed at the previous hearing.

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